The Talon

Online Content is Evolving

One of the top online content platforms has had a collective shift in content since quarantine started. YouTube’s content creators have had to either change their content dramatically or keep everything the same depending on what their focus is. “The sooner we stay to ourselves and focus on not spreading germs, the quicker we can continue our regularly scheduled programming” Influencer Dytto said in an Instagram post on March 16.

On April 18, Global Citizen streamed the One World: Together At Home concert for just over eight hours featuring some of the most prominent musical talents including Hozier, Niall Horan, Charlie Puth, Liam Payne, Kesha, Rita Ora and many more. Global Citizen has not been the only organization or company to release streamed content. Since many live performances have been cancelled, companies have taken to YouTube to post pre-recorded versions of these shows for many to enjoy.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway hit musical “The Phantom of the Opera” was exclusively streamed for three days before being taken down. Cirque du Soleil has been doing 60 minute shows every Friday for a different show each week. This week’s performance was “Zed” and is available on their channel and website.

However, other companies have not been as lucky with their content. Mostly known for their popular “Gourmet Makes” and “Test Kitchen” videos, the Bon Appetit cooking channel had a visible shift in their content three weeks ago with their video titled “The Bon Appetit Test kitchen is Cooking at Home”. The staff showed their home workspaces and talked about the change of pace creating recipes. They make food in front of their cell phone cameras while on a Zoom call with editors and other staff. Although not ideal, this channel has been able to produce and pump out content, showing anyone that it is possible to stay home and work no matter what the job is.

On the other side of the platform, gamers have seen an increase of Let’s Play content since quarantine kicked in. Now that everyone is at home, there is more time to play video games whereas normal life would have constricted them. For online gaming companies, however, this has been a bit of a struggle to deal with. “Battle Royal gaming companies like Respawn have had to do their best to keep online servers functional. Many bugs can be found in Apex Legends that they are trying to fix, but may not have the time, resources or development team to help fix them efficiently,” 8th grader Noel Castillo said. Due to the influx of players online on any given servers, online games become laggy and slightly buggy. “Companies have been acknowledging the Coronavirus and giving updates and reminders in-game to be sure to stay healthy and at home” Castillo said.

Commentary YouTubers have also had to change their content just a bit to keep up with viewers. Anthony Padilla, formerly from the viral YouTube duo “Smosh”, has been interviewing groups of people in his California home for close to two years now. Since quarantine started in California, he has not been able to do these face-to-face interviews in the last several weeks. He recently took to Instagram and YouTube’s Community feature to explain that he is starting video interviews with different groups of people as well as focusing on other series for the time being.

Vogue, who does similar videos on their channel, recently released a video interview with Fran Drescher. It is similar to all their other in-person interviews but with lower quality and Drescher’s very cute dog. Other commentary channels like Danny Gonzalez, Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner and Michael Messineo (from Mike’s Mic) have been posting as normal with subtle mentions of the current situation while still posting their usual comedic content.

While staying home may not be the ideal situation we want to be in, it is necessary to take precautions during these troubling times. Platforms like YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitch and others are becoming vital for media consumption during this unprecedented era, but don’t let it consume you. Take breaks from social media and stay on top of your work. Stay safe, stay home and everything will be just fine.